Video signals in modern television systems may comprise a mix of two-dimensional (2D) mono video signals and a three-dimensional (3D) stereoscopic video signals, for example a 3D video movie may comprise 2D commercial breaks, or a television channel may comprise a mix of 2D and 3D programming. A video signal receiver, such as a DVD player, a personal computer, a television set-top box or a game console, should process the input video signal in such a way so as to output a signal in a format acceptable by a video display unit, such as a plasma screen or a LCD screen. Typical video signal receivers provide the signal to the display unit in the original format of the signal, which requires the display unit to detect the type of the signal and display it properly. In case of older 2D display units, they will not be able to correctly display 3D signals. In case of simple 3D stereoscopic display units, they may be able to correctly display 3D signals, but may not recognize a transition to a 2D signal and in such a case the 2D signal may be displayed incorrectly. Such problems may cause frustration of the end user, for whom it may be difficult to properly set-up correct configuration of the video system components.
It is the aim of the present invention to provide a method and a system for generating a video signal for a display unit such that the video signal is adapted appropriately for the display unit regardless of the input video signal type, i.e. whether it is a 2D or a 3D video signal.